Adeiperto: Bishop of Capua (r 944 – ?).
Adelaide di Monferrato (or di Savona; del Vasto): (b. c1075; d. Apr. 16, 1118). Countess of Sicily. Different sources identify her father as the daughter of the Marchese Manfredo or Boniface del Vasto, Marquis of western Liguria. She was the 3rd wife of Roger I, the “Great Count” of Sicily, marrying him in 1089. By him she became the mother of Sicily’s first king, Roger II. Widowed in 1101, she held the regency of Sicily until 1112, first for her oldest son, Simon, and then for the younger Roger II. King Baldwin of Jerusalem, seeking to possess her vast wealth, married her in 1113. After this marriage was annulled in 1117 she returned to Sicily, without her dowry, and died the following year. She was buried at Patti, in Sicily. Roger II became so incensed at his mother’s treatment at the hands of Baldwin, he refused to give any assistance to the Second Crusade, nearly three decades later.
Adelaide’s sister married Roger I’s illegitimate son, Jordan (Giordano), and her brother, Henry del Vasto, became lord of Paternò and Butera.
Adelais of Benevento>:>Duke of Benevento (rAD 730 or 732-33).
Adelchis (or Adelgisus): (d. 878). Prince of Benevento. He was the son of Radelchis I. He was a vassal of Ludovico (Ludwig) II, Lombard king of Italy, and succeeded his brother Radelgar to power in Benevento in 853 or 854. In 866, he issued laws to be enforced within the duchy as a supplement to the Lombard code for use in Benevento. Following an expansionist policy, he eventually gained control of Salerno and was the gastalato of Capua. During his reign he was able to successfully hold off hostile attacks from the Carolingian Franks, the Papacy, and the Saracens. In August, 871, he captured Emperor Louis II, releasing him only when a promise was made guaranteeing Adelchis’s sovereignty to the duchy. Once freed, Louis went to Rome where he was freed from his oath by Pope Adrian II. The Emperor, now seeking revenge on Adelchis, marched south again. Although he scored another victory over the Saracens at Capua, he was unable to harm Adelchis and finally departed again to the north. Despite his success against outside threats, Adelchis could do nothing against those from within and he was assassinated by a group of his own relatives.
Adelfer (Adelferio) of Amalfi:He usurped the Duchy of Amalfi in 984 while his brother, Manso I, was in Salerno. In 986 he and his wife Drosa were forced to flee to Naples when Manso returned to Amalfi.
Adelfia (BA):A commune (area: 29.73 km². alt. 154 m) in the province of Bari. Located 15 km. S of Bari, the two sections of the town (each formerly an independent center) are divided by a valley called the “lowland” or “marsh” of Montrone. A single bridge spans the chasm to link the two sections, which lie less than a kilometer from one another. Population: 17,070 (2007e); 17,020 (2006e); 16,824 (2004).
The communal territory is cultivated with vineyards, olive groves, and almond trees. Part of Regione Agraria n. 8 – Pianura di Bari. CAP: 70010. Tel. Pref.: 080. Geographical Coordinates: Lat 41°0’18″72 N/Long 16°52’21″00 E.
Designation: Adelfiesi.
History: Adelfia was created on 29 September 1927 by the uniting of the two communes of Montrone and Canneto di Bari. Its name, adapted from the Greek word adelphòs (meaning “brotherhood”), reflects this unification. Montrone (med. Monte Roni) was originally a village founded by the Byzantines in 982 (although the site had been occupied in pre-Roman times by a Peucetican center, possibly Celiae), while Canneto (med. Cane) was a Norman foundation from 1071.
Throughout most of their history, Montrone and Canneto were feudal holdings. They only received the status of free communes with the abolition of feudalism in 1806.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries the communes were largely depopulated due to emigration, mostly to the Americas.